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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. date — the fruit
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. row — to paddle
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. clip — a video
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bound — obliged
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. bound — certain
  14. clip — to cut
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. vault — a safe
  17. bound — tied together
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. row — a line
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com